iCombat

Our new pirate game, Silver Skull, just went live last night so please try it out and let us know what you think!  Submitted two weeks ago…we were worried that it would not be approved in time for “Talk Like a Pirate Day” which is the 19th of September every year (today).  Luckily the approval wait was shorter than expected so we managed to be out just in time.  We hope you like it!

See some screenshots of the game below:

You can check it out in iTunes here or visit our Silver Skull site here

Related articles by Zemanta

• Talk Like a Pirate Day 2009 gets its own World of Warcraft party (inquisitr.com)
• Talk Like A Pirate Day (yesbutnobutyes.com)
• Talk Like a Pirate Day Widget: TRY THIS (blippitt.com)
• HOW TO: Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day (mashable.com)

When I initially launched iCombat in April, I decided to wait on releasing a lite version to first see if I could manage to get up the charts without one. My fear was that a lite version would cannibalize my potential user base if I accidentally put too much of the game’s “secret sauce” out there for free. Looking back, I realize now I was so afraid to get the feature mix for the demo wrong that I irrationally avoided the option much longer than I should have.

And while part of my hesitation had to do with my optimism about iCombat’s potential and my marketing ability, it also had to do with the fact that I rarely buy full versions of games (although I do occasionally). After just launching my lite version yesterday I can say that my concerns about the lite version were misplaced and might have cost me quite a bit in lost income. Below are my main takeaways from having waited on launching the lite version and why I think too many indie iPhone developers wrongly steer clear of lite versions:

1. Know your Apps Core value and its core user: This sounds douchey but it really is harder than it sounds to have the discipline to know the profile of your core user and then choose that feature you think will resonate most.  For example, if you are making a game it is easy to think kids and adults will like it and they will all get hooked on the game play AND the graphics AND the story equally.  Odds are your app will not resonate with everyone, and one salient feature will be the hook so the sooner you figure it out and admit it to yourself the better. You may be wrong, but better to know your target than water down your strategy by pursuing too many angles.  Needless to say once you have your app’s core value outlined it will also be that much easier to design your lite version.
2. The App store is not a lemonade stand: The App store is one of the largest, most seamless content delivery platforms ever and when it comes to pricing most of us fail to understand just how fundamentally different this is from anything we have ever seen.  As a result we apply our personal conceptions of scarcity, value or what it means to transact with someone to something that is totally different.  If you have released an app you will agree that pricing decisions or the debate about a lite version are often more emotional than rational.  I am sure more than one developer has though “I don’t want to give it to someone for free when I worked 3 months on it every night after work while my wife was screaming at me because I was never around.”  That would be okay to think if you toiled on a model airplane or a painting for that period and were selling the one unit you had created, but in the App store you can divide that effort across 40MM+ people so who really cares if 5MM users get your app for free if in the end 250k of them buy it? Read more…

As I think about a price for my new app the question I keep struggling with is just how exactly does pricing affect user buying patterns.  Apple’s frictionless purchasing process, where the vast majority of app store users already have a credit card on file, allows for painless one quick purchasing and has quickly made $1 dollar the new free.  The question becomes though, where is it that the user begins to think twice?  $2, $3 or maybe $5?  From my point of view there seem to be 5 major types of application in the App store right now that make embody the current pricing trends:

1. “Crapware” – cheap to make in terms of time and resources.  Targeted by both experienced and inexperienced developers.  Business model is either ad supported or sell for $0.99.
2. Full fledged apps by amateur developers – more elaborate design and execution by part time developers.  Attempting to create a full game experience with iShoot and Trism being good examples.  Business model is pay model with prices between the $1 and $5 range.
3. Full apps by funded start-ups – professional developers focused on higher quality games.  Here we have iBowl by the Social Gaming Network for example.  Quality of applications is high, business model is anything under the sun (to see one of the more creative examples check out Toy Bot’s $10k giveaway marketing strategy)
4. Professionally produced games – major studios like Sega or EA using teams of developers to leverage the iPhone platform.  Business model is selling games for $5+, probably closer to $10.  A good example is Spore. Read more…

I have gotten the first couple of updates from the team and am now testing the application on my iPhone.  It is really cool to have it up and running so I can begin to see the project taking shape.  It feels like progress is slow until I get the new updates and then it looks like only a matter of weeks.  A few bugs with the movement and firing but all in all a great start!

Even with this basic buggy simplified version I find myself wanting to pick it up and play it.  Either I am obsessed with the idea or it does have some interesting game play already.  I have started to fiddle with the tank, turret and missile speeds amongst other variables and am hoping that upon testing I will just know the ideal setting for optimal game play once I see it.

Read more…